Straying from the light
by Egyptian Dreamer
Summary: After another fight, Wolfram tries to calm down when he gets kidnapped. When they manage to rescue him, they realize that his kidnappers have done something to his mind and now he hates the Maou. Will Yuri bring the old Wolfram back or lose all hope?
1. Chapter 1

**Yep, another KKM story is up just for you guys!**

**Hope you enjoy it!**

**CHAPTER ONE**

Typical.

That's what four out of the five occupants of the room thought at the same time just as their respective king kept on ranting about how totally unfair they were being.

"Come on, Gwendal. I've been stuck inside the castle for three whole days. I just wanna get some fresh air." the double black tried to reason yet again with dark haired Mazoku.

"Heika, in your twenty days of absence a lot of work has piled up and in these past three days you keep on mentioning you haven't even finished half of it." Gwendal replied as patiently as he could.

Seeing how the Earth wielder stayed unswayed, the Maou whirled around in search for his godfather. At least _he_ would definitely understand.

"Conrad, tell him he's being unreasonable." Yuri said pleadingly, his desperation showing in his voice. "Well…" Conrad started sheepishly, "we can't have our king fainting from exhaustion, now can we?" he said, earning a frown from his elder brother. "Conrad please, not you too."

"Oh please, Brother. As if Conrad has ever refused anything to that wimp." the youngest of the three brothers commented while shaking his head. "I keep telling you that you're spoiling him way too much." Wolfram continued, this time addressing to Conrad.

"Well, I guess that he could go for a walk in the town and then come back to finish his work." Gunter added, making Gwendal's right eye twitch and Yuri to clap his hands enthusiastically.

"Of course! Definitely! I'll be back in no time." Gwendal couldn't help but sigh at his obvious defeat. "Fine." he finally said.

"I'll accompany you, your Majesty!" Gunter volunteered cheerfully, but before Yuri had any time to reply, Gwendal already had. "You're going to stay here to help me look through these papers so that his Majesty can sign them once he gets back."

"What? But I have to go with-" Gunter began but Yuri cut him off hurriedly. "Gunter, if Gwendal says you're needed here then it must be true. Don't worry, I won't take long."

The violet haired Mazoku let out an exaggerated sigh but made no moves to protest further. "I will be the one accompanying you." Wolfram said sternly, cutting off any further offers. "That's fine with me. What about you, Conrad? You coming with us?"

The person in question gave his godson an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Heika. I'm afraid I have a swordsmanship lesson with the new soldiers."

"Oh, okay then. Shall we get going?" Yuri asked turning his head to look at Wolfram who merely nodded in reply. "One moment, Heika." Gwendal said suddenly, causing Yuri to stop dead in his tracks and blink quizzically at him. "Make sure to disguise yourself before heading out to town."

"Gwendal, come on now. Don't you think that this disguising thing is getting old? None of our people would ever attempt to harm me and you know that." Gwendal was about to reply but Gunter jumped in, "Heika, please try to understand. It's not our people we're worried about but the bandits and thieves that lurk in the town."

Yuri placed a finger on his chin, a thoughtful expression upon his face. "But, if that's the case, then wouldn't they recognize me from Ao or Wolfram for that matter?" That caused a frown to settle on everyone's faces, putting them in thought.

"I've got to admit that Yuri has a point there. Not only Shin Makoku but the other countries as well, have knowledge of who the Maou's fiancé is. It's only natural they assume that he _is _the king once they see me escorting him." Yuri nodded in agreement with Wolfram's musings.

"Wolfram's right. At least, about the assumption thing." At the glare that was directed at him though, the double black added hurriedly. "Not that it matters anyway. Whether they recognize me or not I mean. As long as Wolf sticks around me I doubt they'll even consider doing anything."

The said blond folded his arms over his chest, making a hmph sound while doing so. "Of course they won't. As if I'd even let them."

Yuri nodded his head rapidly, not wanting to rouse his friend's temper again. "You sure have your ways to avoid his tantrums." Conrad whispered as quietly as possible in his king's ear.

"Yeah, I'm learning." Yuri whispered back.

"What are the two of you muttering over there?" Wolfram inquired, a golden eyebrow arched in suspicion. "Nothing! Come on, time's running out Wolf." the Maou said before bidding the others goodbye and then running out of the room.

"Yuri!" the fire wielder exclaimed before stomping out in pursuit of the other boy.

And thus, began their little trip. If only they knew though… that only one of them would be coming back.

**END OF FIRST CHAPTER **

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**I'm waiting to hear your opinion**.


	2. Chapter 2

**New chapter is up!**

**CHAPTER TWO**

**Wrong Path**

Wolfram was seriously beginning to lose patience.

He didn't mind all the giggles or the dreamy smiles that were plastered on the girls' faces as Yuri passed by. No, he could understand. Yuri was their Maou, and a quiet handsome Maou that is, it was only natural that they'd want to get showered by his affections.

What he did mind though was that stupid red hue that covered Yuri's cheeks as he waved back at them. When would that wimp stop paying so much attention to others when _he_ was around?

"Yuri, I believe it's time to head back now." the fire demon muttered through clenched teeth.

The double black whirled around, his joyful expression instantly fading into a pout. "Oh, come on, Wolf. I don't want to get back just yet. Please, can't we stay a few more minutes?"

Wolfram felt his hands clench into fists at the sight of that begging expression. He hated how that wimp had him wrapped around his finger by simply staring at him with those glowing black orbs.

A defeated huff passed through his lips. "Fine. A few more minutes, but I warn you, no flirting."

Yuri beamed at him, either choosing to leave his statement uncommented or simply ignoring it. "You are the best, Wolf!" the Maou said cheerfully, taking Wolfram's hand and hurrying off to one of the stalls on the street to take a closer look.

The blond rolled his eyes, but still couldn't hide the smile that graced his features, happy that he had managed to please his fiancé.

While Yuri kept staring at the displaying items with that ecstatic look on his face, Wolfram's attention was snatched momentary by a blur of colors. Turning his head around, he realized that some paintings were displayed in one of the stalls, and before he had realized it, he had made his way over there.

Yuri on the other hand, was looking at some jewels, mesmerized by all those colorful gems, when a glint of green caught his eye. Blinking, he searched for that green again, only to find out that it was emanating from a single, silver ring with a gorgeous emerald stone embedded onto it.

"Something you like, Heika?"

Snapping out of his daze, Yuri looked up, noticing for the first time the woman standing behind the stall. Brown shoulder length hair, sparkling sapphire eyes and a gentle smile on her face. She seemed to be around twenty but Yuri knew better than to judge the age of a Mazoku.

"Um, I was just taking a look at this ring you've got there." he answered uncertainly but the woman just smiled at him before gesturing towards the said ring. "You should take it. It really matches his eyes perfectly."

Yuri frowned, not knowing what to make of her words, before turning his head to stare at the direction she was looking at only to see Wolfram standing a few meters away, staring with obvious bewilderment at some paintings.

"Oh, yeah I guess it does." he said, turning his attention back to the saleslady.

"You could offer it to his Excellency as a gift. I'm sure he'd be pleased." the woman added with a giggle, making Yuri tilt his head to the side slightly thoughtfully.

"Well, it's not like he's my future wife or something and I'm going to propose to him."

"Heika?" the female Mazoku questioned with confusion, making him realize abruptly that he had just voiced his musing at loud.

He could feel heat flood his cheeks and he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Don't worry a-about it. Just thinking about something."

"Neh, neh, Heika? Have you kissed yet?" the woman whispered all of a sudden, leaning forward so that Yuri could hear her.

The teen couldn't help but blink in utter perplexity. "Kissed you say…?" he asked puzzled.

"With his Excellency." the woman added helpfully, a curious smile gracing her features. Finally understanding what she meant, Yuri's eyes doubled in size, his whole face coloring up.

A memory flashed through his mind as a result of her words, causing him to swallow the sudden lump that had risen to his throat. No, that definitely didn't count as kiss! Wolfram wasn't even in control of his own body when it happened.

The saleslady giggled at his embarrassment before coming around from her counter until she was standing right before Yuri. With an amused smile, she put the ring into the Maou's pocket before taking a few steps back. "Heika, you really are funny."

Now it was Yuri's turn to laugh, sheepishly though but still laugh.

"Yuri!"

Said teen jumped a good few feet in the air at the unexpected yell before turning around only to come face to face with his fiery fiancé. And from the look in those eyes, he could tell that he was in for some serious trouble.

Spotting his king's still colored cheeks, Wolfram gritted his teeth in an attempt to restrain himself from strangling that excuse of a fiancé. "Your time is up." he said with an eerie finality, that caused Yuri to gulp.

Before he had time to even open his mouth to reply, Wolfram had taken a hold of his hand and starting dragging him off. He did manage to wave his goodbye at the saleslady though, a gesture which she returned all too happily.

"Wolfram. Oi, Wolfram! Slow down, will you?" When his only reply however was the silence, Yuri had to increase his pace in order to keep up with the furious blond. Only when they had finally reached their horses did Wolfram skip to a halt.

"I take my eyes off of you for five minutes, five minutes for God's sake, and you start flirting with other women again!" the fire wielder finally snapped, whipping around to show Yuri how serious he was.

The double black took a few steps backwards, waving his hands frantically in front his face while doing so. "Wolfram, c-calm down. I wasn't f-flirting with her, I was just taking a look at the items she was selling."

"Then care to enlighten me with the reason your face was red?" Wolfram pushed, taking a few steps forward.

"I d-don't know what you're talking about, Wolf." Yuri replied defensively, definitely not planning on telling him the real reason. But that just seemed to piss the other more. "That's what you're always saying. You flirt with others right before my eyes and then you deny everything!"

"How many times do I have to tell you? I didn't flirt with anybody, so stop imagining situations that never existed in the first place!" Yuri yelled back, fed up with the other's accusations.

Wolfram's eyes narrowed but so did Yuri's. "You know what, this is plainly ridiculous." the latter said irritated before storming past the blond and towards his horse.

"Run then!"

That caused Yuri to pause with his hand on Ao's saddle, but Wolfram went on. "Isn't that what you always do? Running away from everything that has to do with our engagement and from me!"

"T-that's completely irrelevant. You are the one that started this so stop trying to turn the tables, making it seem as if it was my fault. Because that's just irrational, you know?"

Not wanting to stay there and just hear Wolfram yell some more at him, Yuri climbed on his horse and after mumbling a quick 'I will see you at the castle' he took off.

Wolfram's whole face boiled with anger. Lifting one arm, he shot a tree nearby, instantly setting it on fire. His horse whined in protest, moving as far away as possible from the flaming tree.

It shook his head, whining some more to get Wolfram's attention. The person in question brought a hand down his face, huffing heavily in the process. "Sorry, girl." he mumbled after a moment.

With one last sigh, he took the reins of his horse and went to sit under the shade of one of the trees, not really feeling like going back at the moment. His Brother would probably scold him later on for letting their Maou wander off on his own, but he just didn't feel like brooding over it now.

"Feeling betrayed, aren't we?" a voice said all of a sudden, making him jump back to his feet, his sword already in hand. "Who said that?" he shouted, keeping his fire magic stand by just in case.

Four men stepped out of the bushes as if to answer his question. They all had brown hair and all of them were holding swords as well.

One of them, the one with green eyes, stepped forward. "That would be me." he said smugly, making Wolfram frown. "You are humans. How dare you trespass in Mazoku lands and in the Demon King's capital that is?"

The man however merely shook his head. "Don't worry, it's not your precious King that we're after." That caused relief to wash over Wolfram for a moment. At least Yuri wouldn't be in any danger.

"What did you come here for then?" the blond demanded frustrated. Oh, how he'd love to make them pay for even considering to step foot in their kingdom.

"I think you might be able to help us with that." the man, obviously the leader, said and before Wolfram had time to wonder what he meant by that, five more men stepped out. His eyes widened in recognition. The men were clothed in a white fabric and their heads were covered with white veils. He knew those men.

"You! But how is that possible? We got rid of you a long time ago." Ignoring him, the men pulled out something red, blazing red stones that Wolfram knew all too well. The pain hit him so suddenly, that the air was wiped out from his lungs for a moment.

And the more he resisted it, the weaker he got. His legs gave away, sending him on his knees. And Wolfram didn't know what to do first anymore. Focus on breathing which was getting harder by each passing second, try to stand back up, or attempt to summon his magic, something that seem a rather unaccomplished task at the time.

And before he even realized it, darkness had claimed him.

***)Ω(***

Murata kept huffing to himself as he rode his horse through the town, occasionally waving at the citizens that greeted him.

"Damn that Shinou. Pulling his pranks even inside his own temple." he muttered frustratingly, cursing inwardly the original king for acting like a ten year old that had gotten bored.

He shook his head to clear out his thoughts. Perhaps Shibuya needed some assistance in the castle. Yes, that would definitely keep him occupied. With the corner of his eye though, he caught a glimpse of white passing on the rooftop.

Pulling his horse to a halt, he couldn't help but frown as he turned his head from side to side. He knew he hadn't imagined that, but he still refused to believe what he had just seen to be true.

"No, that's just impossible. Janus is gone. Why would they continue?"

Scowling, the Great Sage urged his horse to move again. If the white crows, or what has remained of them, were in the capital then that meant only one thing. Their Maou was in immediate danger.

He would never admit it aloud, but if Shinou hadn't pulled another one of his pranks again, he wouldn't have witnessed what he just did.

Brilliant. Now he even owed one to that troublemaker. Oh, Shinou would definitely find this hilarious.

**Okay, this chapter is over!**

**Please, review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**New chapter is now up!**

**CAPTURED**

"Welcome to Blood Pledge Castle, Geika!" Dorcascos greeted in his usual loud, formal tone the moment Murata passed through the gate.

"Thank you." the Great Sage replied absently, his gaze moving from left to right in search of a certain double black. "Geika." another voice echoed, in a softer and definitely less formal manner.

Murata's head whipped to the direction of the voice just in time to see Conrad descending down the stairs in order to meet him. He dismounted off his horse to let Dorcascos take it to the stables and walked over to Conrad.

"Sir Weller, do you happen to know where Shibuya is?"

"His Majesty went into Gwendal's office a few minutes ago to finish up his work." the half-Mazoku answered, making Murata's eyebrows to furrow ever so lightly. 'He's unharmed then.' the teen thought briefly.

"Shall we go too?" Conrad questioned and with a nod of the head from Murata they made their way to the castle.

The very second Murata stepped foot in the General's office, he could tell that something was definitely off. The green clad Mazoku was sitting at the large table in front of his desk with a pile of papers beside him. Behind his desk was their monarch, the Demon King of Shin Makoku, with four large piles of documents at either side of him.

The frown that was currently gracing the Maou's features would have normally been caused by the painful amount of hours he was supposed to spend in that very room, in that very chair, signing all those official documents.

But Murata had a feeling in his gut that this time it was caused from something else.

"Yo, Shibuya."

The double black's head snapped up, his frown gone for the time and replaced by a tiny pull at the corners of his mouth. "Gotten bored at the Temple, neh Murata?"

At the discomforted look that took over his friend's expression, Yuri couldn't suppress the chuckle that escaped his lips. "Shinou again, huh?" Murata waved a hand in dismissal instead of an answer, obviously not up to analyzing the subject.

"Nothing major I hope?" Gwendal inquired, speaking for the first time, as he looked up from his work. "Nah. Just his usual tricks." With a small incline of the head, the dark haired Mazoku went back to his work, relieved that the Temple hadn't suffered farther damage.

Murata watched as his friend shook his head before his quill started moving again and was tempted to ask the reason for his slightly grumpy mood, but his chance slipped by when Dorcascos marched inside the room.

"Heika! Big trouble, Heika!" Sighing, the Maou raised his head again. "Calm down, Dorcascos. There's no need to make such a fuss about it."

At his words, the soldier bent over for a moment, hands resting on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath since he had ran all way there. When his breathing finally calmed down, he took another deep breath for good measures before speaking up. "Heika, his Excellency Wolfram's horse has returned but it's alone, sir."

"What?" Conrad exclaimed alarmed just as Gwendal shot up from his seat. Yuri's facial features however only seemed to harden. "Did Wolfram send you to tell me that? Well, I've got some news for him. Tell him that instead of making me worry in order to go to him, he should come here and apologize himself."

Murata arched a black eyebrow upwards, finally understanding the cause behind his friend's distress.

"B-b-b-but Heika… it's t-true."

Yuri's expression changed from one of irritation to one of confusion in a flash. "Wait, you mean… you're serious?"

Still stunned from his king's previous words, Dorcascos managed a hesitant nod. The quill that he had been holding on all this time slipped from his hand and an instant later Yuri had leaped to his feet and was running.

Conrad and Gwendal exchanged a silent look, not needing to add words since the scowl on their faces was speaking on its own and then followed after their king, Dorcascos and Murata following mutely.

When Yuri finally reached the courtyard he came to an abrupt halt at the scene before him. Two guards were trying their best to restrain an all too familiar white stallion. Said horse seemed to have gone in a frenzy from the way it pulled and struggled to break free.

"What the…?" was the only thing that Yuri managed to utter.

"That's what I was trying to say," Dorcascos muttered softly, as if afraid to speak up after the teen's previous outburst. "His horse has come back after your walk in the town… but there's no sign of his Excellency."

Yuri's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But that's impossible. I left him just a few minutes ago." His eyes widened for a moment and he turned around sharply. "Does this mean that something might have happened to him?"

If possible, more wrinkles seemed to add in Gwendal's forehead.

"Each of our horses has been especially trained so as not to feel fear during the time of a war or a battle. It would never abandon Wolfram in a state of emergency."

A sudden cry that came from the guards attracted everyone's attention. With a final, strong pull, the horse finally broke free from its captors grip and ran straight out of the castle.

Before anyone had time to react though, it stopped just a few meters from the gate, neighed loudly and began stomping its front legs harshly against the ground.

"Hm…This horse doesn't seem frighten to me. It looks as if it wants us… to follow it." Murata voiced his musing out loud, a finger tapping his cheek in a thoughtful display.

"Heika!" At the sudden exclamation, Murata's head whipped sharply to the side just in time to see Yuri disappearing towards the stables. "Oh, dear." The Great Sage placed his hands on his hips, a sigh passing through his lips.

Conrad had already started going after his godson, but as if on cue, the double black emerged from the stables on top of Ao. Tugging at the reins swiftly, the Maou made his horse bolt forwards.

Ignoring the shouts coming from his retainers, Yuri ran straight to the gate and then out in the open. The moment Wolfram's horse spotted him, it took of running towards the path that led to the capital with a pleased whine.

"Come on, boy! You can do it." Yuri cheered his horse on, urging it to go faster. With a grunt-like neigh, Ao quickened his pace and managed to catch up to the white horse.

In a desperate attempt to reach their destination faster, Wolfram's horse sped up even more, both of them now running with full speed. When they were a few meters away from the outskirts of the town, the white horse finally came to a stop, Ao doing the same next to it, both of them panting and breathing hard.

Yuri climbed down from Ao's back, stroking its side softly to show it how pleased he was and that it had done a fine job. In return, the horse moved its head to side, nudging the boy's shoulder gently to show him he was welcome and then went back to gaining it breath.

Tired of waiting, the white horse neighed impatiently, attracting Yuri's attention back to it.

Yuri glanced around and his black eyes doubled in size at the utterly black tree at the other side of the path. Did this happen when he had left? Because of their argument? Before he was able to dwell on it though, the horse neighed, signaling for him to follow it towards a tuft of trees next to the path.

Yuri instantly whirled around and went after it, stopping next to its side and looking at his surroundings. The horse whined and pushed him gently in the back, making him blink.

"What is it? Where's Wolfram?" At the sound of the name, the horse immediately tensed up, its tail moving from side to side nervously.

It began moving forward again, passing past Yuri and walking up to a tree a few feet away. Then it neighed suddenly, stomping its foot on the ground, right next to a fallen branch.

A gasp was ripped from Yuri's lips when he realized what that item was. Not a branch… A sword! And not just any sword. He ran up to the tree and kneeled next to the trunk.

He would recognize that sword anywhere. In fact, Conrad and Gwendal would always carry an exact same sword on them, no matter where they went, sheathed in a belt around their shoulder.

Panic started taking over him, making the blood in his veins run faster and his pulse to speed up. "Wolfram?"

No answer.

"Wolfram!" he called out again, but yet again, silence was the only thing that met him. He stood up again, the sword clutched firmly in his hand and tore his head from side to side.

"Wolfram! Where are you? WOLFRAM!" he shouted again, but his voice was so loud, it came out more like a scream than a yell.

"Heika!" Yuri's head whipped around to the direction of the shout and soon enough Conrad, Gwendal and Murata marched up towards him, pulling their horses to a stop when they finally reached him.

The moment his godfather dismounted from his horse, Yuri bolted towards him. "Conrad! Conrad, look!" he shouted desperately and passed him the sword.

The brunet-haired man stiffened. A moment later, his hand reached out to grasp the item and Yuri thought that, for a brief moment, he saw his hand shaking but Conrad turned swiftly around, therefore not giving him the chance to affirm his suspicion.

"Gwendal." was all that Conrad said before throwing the sword over at him, which the other Mazoku caught in midair and inspected it closely.

When he clarified that it was indeed their brother's possession, he lifted his head and caught Conrad's gaze with his. Words were needless yet again. The unspoken fact hanging heavily in the air.

Their brother never left his sword behind.

Murata's eyebrows furrowed. 'This is bad. Seems like Shibuya wasn't their target in the first place. But the question is… why?' His eyes widened when realization dawned upon him. 'Could it be?' he thought again, a frown settling upon his face.

"Sir Weller," Murata began, earning a quizzical look from Conrad, "I believe it's time for our Maou to return to his castle. We shouldn't risk exposing him to any farther danger."

Both Conrad and Gwendal's expression stiffened, torn between their duty and responsibility towards their king and their desperation to search for Wolfram.

"What are you talking about, Murata? Wolfram could be unconscious somewhere around here or even injured! We have to-"

"Shibuya." Murata cut him off, his voice betraying how serious he was. "Lord von Bielefeld is no longer here. There's no need for you to linger around this place anymore, it could be dangerous."

"But-" "His Holiness is right, Heika. Your safety is our first priority." Gwendal spoke up, cutting off his king's complaints.

Yuri opened his mouth to protest again but one quick glance at Conrad's direction made him bit back any words that he was about to utter. Both of his retainers were doing their best to not any emotion show on their faces, but after all these years that he had spent around them Yuri was able to read them as perfectly as a book.

And at the moment, their expression bore only one emotion… Pain.

Yuri felt like smacking himself at the moment. If _he_ was so upset about Wolfram's sudden disappearance, how were his brothers supposed to feel?

Nodding slowly in understanding, the Demon King went over to his horse and got on as less clumsily as he could. Murata cast him a quick approved nod before taking hold of the reins of his horse.

"I'll see you back at the castle in a while. I've got something to attend to first." And with that, the Great Sage was off, marching his horse towards the town or rather, towards a specific Temple. He had some serious talk to do with the Original King.

The king's retainers took hold of the reins around Wolfram's horse, pulling it forward. The horse whined and struggled, its head twisting around to glance with sorrow filled eyes towards the place where they found the sword, where it had seen his master for the last time.

Yuri moved Ao next to the white horse and gently, placed his palm on its neck in a soothing way. 'It's pointless to go back now. He's not there.' he thought sadly and stroked the white fur in an attempt to comfort it.

After a moment, the horse's attempts to run away died down, and it just let the other two drag it away defeated. It looked up slowly, meeting Yuri's eyes briefly and the double black did his best to smile. He looked over at the two Mazoku that were riding up ahead of him, shoulders ever so slightly slumped down.

'Just you wait, Wolfram. I'll get you back. The castle will be awfully quiet without your tantrums.'

**END OF CHAPTER THREE**

**I hope you liked it!**

**And don't forget that reviews are cherished! ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

**Another chapter is up!**

**Chapter four**

**LOCATED**

Tensed black orbs stared out of the glass wall of the throne room, onto the capital of their kingdom, where torches were starting to lit up with fire. Night. It was night already. Their troops had been searching for four whole hours.

And guess what? Thin air. That's what they had come up with. Nothing but thin air.

The Demon King's eyes flickered back to Gwendal who was listing off the places that had been searched throughout, which in summarize, was the whole capital.

Unconsciously, Yuri cast a sideways glance at Lady Cheri beside him, sitting on the throne with Greta in her lap. She was staring somewhere in space, oblivious to the conversation taking place in front of her. A soft sigh passed through his lips.

If she was still the Maou, she'd have sent out every single soldier of their army in search of her younger son.

"Gwendal," the teen spoke up, cutting off the Mazoku's report, "Can't we send out a search party in the borders or the port? Somewhere out of the capital anyway?"

Gwendal's dark eyebrows creased into a frown. "Yes, I've considered that myself, but investigating out of the capital would be admitting that he didn't leave deliberately." Lady Cheri's expression fell, a silent grief clouding over her emerald jewels.

'So, she's been listening after all.' Yuri noted to himself. "You really think he was kidnapped?" he questioned softly, not wanting to hear the response that deep down he already knew.

"That's the only explanation I can think for this predicament." Conrad, who had fallen silent by Gwendal's side all this time, seemed to stir at his brother's words. "That may be true, but with what motives?" "And more importantly, who would even gain something by abducting him?" Gunter chided in.

"Big Shimaron is who we're up against." All of their heads whipped around to the source of the voice just as Murata shut the door behind him. "Seems like Lanzhil sent out the White Crows to do the dirty job for him." the Great Sage went on while walking over to them.

"The White Crows? But Geika how do you-?" Conrad began but Murata cut him off. "On my way here I spotted them passing through the town. Even though they were using the rooftops so as not to get noticed, I'm certain it was them."

"But still, that doesn't make any sense. Why would they still obey Lanzhil's orders and mostly, what does Wolfram have to do with them?" At Yuri's query, the spectacled teen pushed his glasses up in the bridge of his nose, before raising his eyes to meet the dark gaze of his king's. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid the enemy has figured you out Shibuya."

Yuri could only blink in puzzlement at his friend. "Figured… me out?"

"He knows you can't be defeated. You're the only Mazoku who's immune to Houseki and you can even use your Maryoku in human lands. I can only assume that Lanzhil has grown quite desperate to resort to such an action." Murata explained flatly but Yuri on the other hand just appeared to be more perplexed. "He's angry with me, I get that. But I still can't see your point Murata."

"He probably thought it'd be easier for him to defeat you if you're already weakened. And who better to weaken you than the people you consider your family?"

"So, Wolfram…" Gwendal said thoughtfully and earned a firm nod from Murata in return. "Lanzhil isn't aware of Shibuya's accidental engagement to Lord von Bielefeld. He must have assumed that our Maou chose him on his own free will. And naturally, even the thought of your lover being in harm's way is capable enough to cause you a mental break down."

"But that doesn't explain the White Crows' involvement." Gunter commented, his violet orbs drifting from Murata to Gwendal and back over again.

"They're probably furious that Shibuya took out their leader and when Lanzhil offered them a chance to avenge Janus, they gladly accepted it." A horrible sensation of dread shot up Yuri's spine at his friend's words.

"But Murata… If what you say is true, then, he i-intends to do something h-horrible to Wolfram." A soft gasp reached his ears, making him turn his head to the side. Huge brown eyes were staring fearfully at him and in an instant he regretted uttering those words on front of his daughter.

"Yuri, they won't kill Wolfram, will they?" Greta asked, terror lapping at her voice, confirming the king's suspicion and he mentally cursed himself for his foolishness.

"That would make them the main target of the Maou's wrath, and I highly doubt they want that." Murata replied in Yuri's place but the ruler didn't feel relaxed at all, not with the way his friend's glasses glistened so ominously. The Great Sage was yet again hiding something from him.

"_I can only assume that Lanzhil has grown quite desperate to resort to such an action_._"_ Murata's words repeated in his mind and now that all the information had finally sank in, his mind was beginning to clear up, absorbing the awful, disgusting realization. Wolfram could be tortured at this very moment… and it was his entire fault.

Before he had realized it, his whole body was trembling as guilt, shame and desperation surged through him. His hands clenched unconsciously into fists but he did register the stinging pain as his fingernails dug into his palm.

_I didn't even get to apologize to him._Yuri thought briefly, his argument with Wolfram coming back to him, making him grit his teeth so hard that he thought they might break.

"Shibuya." Murata called up at him, not failing to notice their king's sudden change. When those black orbs landed on him, he saw so many mixed up emotions dancing in those dark pools, but then, the Maou's expression hardened.

"You… You knew what was going on, didn't you? And yet you chose to run off to Shinou Temple to discuss it with him." That last sentence definitely wasn't a question. No, it was a statement. And, except for Murata, the rest of the occupants in the room blinked astonished at the animosity with which it was uttered.

Yuri's arms began shaking again, but for a whole different reason. The Maou was pissed. No, pissed was an understatement… He was simply furious.

"If you had told us right there and then what was happening, we could have saved him!" Yuri yelled, making Greta flinch ever so lightly at her father's unusual behavior. Yes, she had heard Gwendal shout before, Wolfram too… but not Yuri. Never Yuri.

"There was nothing that could have been done, Shibuya. It was already late." Murata said in an even tone but only succeeded on angering Yuri further with his calmness. "That's a lie! We would have gone to the port and stopped them. I would have never allowed them to leave taking Wolfram with them! _I_ would have stopped them!"

The three retainers exchanged concerned glances, knowing well enough that their king never acted this way, because simply it was so unlike him.

"Shibuya, stop!" the Sage exclaimed all of a sudden, making their heads whip to the Maou's direction again before their eyes widened.

A blue glow was surrounding Yuri's entire form, bathing him in a brilliant light. Blood was now dripping from his clenched hands, landing with small little drops on the red carpet. The very moment that his pupils turned into fiery black slits, lightning flashed outside, soon followed by the explosion of a thunder.

"I would have definitely stopped them!" he repeated in a deeper voice, but still much like his own. Murata was about to shout at him to calm down, but his mouth shut close when he noticed Yuri lifting a shaky hand to the side of his head.

Yuri stammered backwards, hand still clutching his head tightly, as if he was in pain. It was only then that Murata realized what the Maou was doing. He was trying to prevent the transformation from completing. _So that's why his hair didn't lengthen. _Murata observed, a smirk creeping onto his face. His friend was slowly but steadily beginning to gain more control over his powers.

However, Yuri seemed way too occupied to notice any of this. Finally registering his actions, the rage washed away in an instant, having been replaced by his previous emotions of distress.

_What the heck am I doing? Blaming Murata when… it was really all… my fault? Lanzhil captured him because he wants to take revenge on me. And if I had explained things out to h__im, we wouldn't end up arguing in the first place…_ An almost incoherent sob escaped his lips and with an anguished cry, Yuri fell to his knees, slamming his tightly clenched fists onto the floor before him.

By his action, the glow that had been surrounding him seemed to course through his arms and flow onto the entire room, covering it with its brilliant radiance and making everything bathe in that magnificent blue light. Then it vanished completely without leaving a single trace behind of what just occurred.

Conrad could only stare at his king, concern swirling in his usual calm, chocolate-brown eyes. Stare as the teen's whole form seemed to overload with a variety of strained emotions, shaking from the effort to keep himself together. Having already lost his little brother, he couldn't bare to watch Yuri crumble like this too.

He had already stepped forward when he felt a hand grasping his shoulder all of a sudden. Blinking in puzzlement, the brunet turned his head to the side, brown eyes connecting with dark blue.

Gwendal regarded him for a second, before slowly, shaking his head. Not giving his brother the chance to ponder over his gesture, the dark haired Mazoku averted his gaze forward, silently guiding Conrad to do the same.

Furrowing slightly, the soldier did as he was instructed, only to have his eyes widen even for a moment. Closing them slowly, a soft smile pulled at his lips, realizing what his brother meant to tell him. His interference was no longer needed.

Yuri was shaking, not caring what the others would think anymore. After all, all of his retainers were aware of how weak he was underneath. So, why try to hide that? When a hand was laid gently on his shoulder though, he head moved on its own accord. At the warm, green eyes that met him, he couldn't suppress the sob that passed through his lips at the resemblance they held to a certain someone.

"Cheri-sama…" he breathed out, tears welling in his eyes as he was reminded of her sorrowed filled gaze a while ago. "Forgive me, Cheri-sama… because of me, Wolfram was… If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have-" He went stiff, not getting to finish his sentence, when Lady Cheri knelt down beside him and pulled him into a tight embrace.

His eyes went wide. But Cheri-same didn't pull away. She just held him tenderly, held him until his trembling ceased to a stop without him realizing it. Only then did the woman released her hold on him. With gentle moves, she used her thumb to wipe some of the tears that had escaped from his eyes.

"Such a kind heart… it shouldn't be burdened with such unfair feelings." she said softly, her palm now moving to cup his cheek lovingly. "Wolfram would be utmost pleased by your concern for him."

Biting his lower lip so as not to shed any more tears, Yuri leaned his head against the warmth of her hand, his eyes faltering close unconsciously.

Lady Cheri smiled warmly. The king reminded her of Wolfram so much at a time like this. When he was younger, her son used to always come to her, seeking the kind of comfort that only a mother could provide her child with. And she'd always soothe him just like he soothed the double black. Because no matter of his position, Yuri was still a teenager, and a sensitive one when it came down to those dear to him.

And when the boy opened his eyes again and flashed her an uncertain but so obviously grateful smile, she couldn't help but return it good-naturally. Then, Yuri stood up, holding out his hand to assist her do the same, in a very gentlemanly manner. She shook her head lightly, but the smile was still on her face when she accepted his offer.

It was only a second after they had gotten back on their feet and Yuri found his arms full of Greta all of a sudden. "Greta?" he couldn't help but ask in puzzlement. The girl looked up at him but her arms were still tightly wrapped around his waist.

"I just… I just don't want to lose you too." He blinked. Then blinked once more. Lose him? But he wasn't going any- His eyes doubled in size. No, his daughter wasn't referring to him going somewhere. She just didn't want him to lose himself like he did a while ago. He hadn't realized it by now, but he must have definitely given her quite a shock, acting so angry and then so… guilty?

He pressed her against him so suddenly, that he could feel the girl's grip on him falter for a moment from the surprise. "You aren't going to lose neither of us, because simply, I'm going to bring Wolfram back. I promise." Greta broke the embrace, a huge smile spreading on her features and she nodded at him vigorously.

"Shibuya." Looking up, he locked eyes with the other teen, his eyes voicing the apology from his earlier snap. And Murata gave him a shake of the head, showing him that he wasn't offended in slightest.

"Because I'm only making theories here, I sent a messenger pigeon to someone who might be able to help with our situation. I requested him to take a look at Lanzhil's castle for us. Soon, we'll know for certain if Lord von Bielefeld is indeed held as a prison there." Yuri gritted his teeth at the word prison but then something else caught his attention. "Who did you ask for help, exactly?"

Murata readjusted his glasses on his nose, his black bangs shadowing his eyes. "Don't worry, I wouldn't toy with something as important as this. I assure you, he's a reliable source."

Yuri sighed, knowing for granted that he wouldn't be extracting any more information than that.

"If our assumptions are indeed correct, the ship will not reach Big Shimaron until early in the morning. Whoever that source is, we won't be getting any news from him until that time comes." Gunter commented, earning nods of agreement from the two brothers and Murata.

"Heika, there's nothing else we can do for now," Conrad said, turning his attention back to Yuri, his concern kicking in again, "I believe it'd better if you went to your room now. You need to get some rest. We all do." he added quickly, foreseeing his godson's words before he even uttered them. What about you guys? You need to rest as well. Oh, yes. Their king could be very predictive.

Before Yuri had time to protest, Gwendal took a step forward. "I will escort you to your quarters, Heika." Then tone he used was so familiar to Yuri that he could easily decipher its meaning. No arguments would be acceptable. Heaving a sigh, Yuri bent down to place a soft kiss on Greta's forehead and then, after bidding everyone else a good night, followed the green clad Mazoku out of the room.

"I'm not a child you know," the teen said while nodding approvingly to the guards that passed them by, "I don't need anyone telling me when to go to bed."

"A child refusing to admit he's a child. I wonder if I'm the only one considering it weird." Yuri sent a sideways glare from the corner of his eyes. "Would you stop calling me-"

"If your previous breakdown wasn't childish, then tell me what it is you call it, Maou Heika." Yuri froze. He… really acted like a child, didn't he? That's right… Such a reaction isn't acceptable for a king. Willing his legs to keep walking, the rest of the way they passed it in silence.

When they finally reached the Maou's room, Yuri went inside, expecting Gwendal to go back to join the others. He wasn't to be blamed then at the confusion that washed over him when the other followed after him. "Gwendal, what are you-"

But the earth wielder cut him off by taking hold of his wrist and nearly dragging him in the bathroom. Yuri yelped at the unexpected action but thankfully managed to steady himself in time and didn't stumble down. Gwendal reached the sink and let the water flow before pulling Yuri's hands and placing them under it.

The teen hissed when the cold liquid came in contact with his palms, realizing for the first time that deep cuts smeared their surface. Weren't those nail marks? Strange, he didn't remember hurting himself. Great, now he had even succeeded on injuring himself.

Gwendal frowned at the damage. He closed the water flow and looked around the room in search of a first-aid kit. Finally achieving his task, he pulled out some bandages before turning back to his king… only to frown deeper.

The blood, the nail cuts, it was all gone. The skin seemed to be perfectly untouched.

"Neh, Gwendal…" His attention was snatched back to the teen and he could help but take notice of how the double black's eyes were shielded by his dark locks. "I've really failed you, haven't I? Especially with what happened to Wolfram. It's because I'm so weak, isn't it? If I were stronger, I would have started a war against Big Shimaron for what Lanzhil did."

Gwendal's left eye twitched. _How did it come down to this?_ he thought while bringing a hand up to rub his aching forehead. "Just because you have different principles than the other kings, it doesn't make you weak." he muttered in a low breath, hand lowering to stare at his king.

"And I know for certain that Wolfram would be furious if he learnt that you shuttered this new era of peace that we have been working on all these years because of him. And this," he took one of the boy's healed palms in his, making him jerk out of his thoughts and look at him with a wide look, "is proof enough that strength isn't something you lack, your Majesty." he finished and let go of Yuri's hand.

At the stunned expression on the teen's face, Gwendal's lips cracked into a tiny smile. He turned on his heels and with no further comments exited the bathroom. He had already taken hold of the door handle when he heard his name being called and paused.

"Thank you." Yuri muttered softly, a light blush coloring his cheeks but smiling nevertheless.

"You aren't weak, Heika. You are just kind… perhaps too kind for your own good." Gwendal replied with his back still at Yuri.

"But kindness doesn't have to be a weakness. On the contrary, it makes you an even better person, especially if you can extend it to others." At those words, stated so casually as if they were a fact, Gwendal whipped around in the blink of an eye, staring at the boy with a wide eyed expression.

Yuri blinked, puzzled. "What?" he asked incredulously, his black eyebrows creasing into a small frown, not understanding what he had done wrong this time.

Gwendal's expression seemed to soften at that and he shook his head. "It's nothing. Have a peaceful night, Heika." he replied and without even giving his king the chance to answer back, he opened the door and stepped out.

"Just as expected of you, Maou Heika." the Mazoku whispered to himself after the door was securely closed behind him. Shaking his head, he proceeded on going back to the throne room where the others were bound to be waiting.

**END OF CHAPTER FOUR**

**Oh, that was a long chapter. I only realized it after I was done writing it.**

**Anyways, please review for me! ^^**


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